Who Knew?
by Shades.of.Peppermint
Summary: Who knew just one little bite of something could give you mono? Kate didn't. Who knew six e-mails a day was conspicuous? Apparently not Tony. Who knew enough to read the signs of a soon-to-be romance in the office? Judging by the situation, Gibbs did.
1. An End And a Beginning

**Who Knew?  
**  
A Tate (Tony DiNozzo/Kate Todd) fic-lette  
by KateofTate

Even if you've already read it, I'd appreciate it if you'd review - if I get enough feedback, it might become a multi-chapter instead of just a one-shot.  
Edit: Feb. 12 - changed to First Person to match Chapter Two.

* * *

'Ah, good to be back,' I thought, walking out of the elevator and to my desk. 'Three weeks is too long to be out.' I ignored Tony's idiotic grin at first, passing it off as Tony being Tony. But, as always, he was much harder to ignore once he opened his mouth.

"So, who was it?" he asked, smirking.

"Wow, Tony. You actually waited until I sat down before you started asking stupid questions. Highly unusual," I replied.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," he said, offended. "But still, who was it?"

"Who was _what_, Tony?" I asked hoarsely.

"Who gave you mono?" Tony asked again, smugly.

"You honestly expect me to tell you?" I questioned, both amused and annoyed.

"Well, yeah, I was hoping you would. I guess if you won't, I'll just have to keep asking."

I sighed. I knew he would keep asking, but there was no way I'd tell him. "Fine. Go ahead. You won't get anything out of it, though."

"Fine, I will keep asking. And I bet I will get something."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever, Tony." I popped a hard candy into my mouth and began sucking on it.

"I thought you had something against sugar," Tony observed. "You sure were complaining about the sugar in my nutrition bar."

I nearly choked on the candy in my mouth. He remembered the nutrition bar? "That was at least a month ago, Tony," I answered shortly, bending over to rummage in my desk for something, anything, so my hair would cover my newly-flushed face. "And the candy actually has less sugar in it than most cough drops I could find."

"Really? A month?" He seemed a bit embarrassed by the time that had passed since the mentioned incident. "What'd you do with it, anyway?"

"Threw it away, of course. Those things are disgusting and full of sugar, and that one had your spit on it. Yuck."

"Oh, come on, Kate. What's so bad about my spit?"

"Well, it's spit, and it's yours. What _isn't_ bad about it?" I vaguely wondered whom I was trying to convince: him, or myself.

"You know, _Katie_, I resent that comment."

"I'm Katie all of a sudden, am I? Well, I don't particularly appreciate the name change."

"All right then, Katie, take back the comment about my spit and I'll change your name back," he replied with the grin.

"Fine, Tony. I take it back."

"All right, Kate." He turned suddenly back to his computer screen as Gibbs walked back in with his coffee. "Hey, Boss. What took you so long?"

Gibbs threw him a light glare as he sat down at his own desk. "Welcome back, Kate. Nothing in particular to do today – probably not a bad thing. You're going to have a lot of reading to do." He gestured at my computer, and I wondered vaguely why I'd have to read so much. I really shouldn't have, but I did.

I turned back to my computer and pulled up my e-mail inbox. As messages began pouring in, I turned my head back to Gibbs and muttered, "Thanks for the warning." After a quick glance back at the screen, I turned again, this time to Tony, and asked, "Didn't you guys have anything to do while I was gone?" Nearly 150 emails sat in my inbox, most of them from Tony and, judging by the subject lines, completely pointless. Scanning the first one ,I asked, "Tony, did you really have to email me forty-three times a day just to say you – " Kate paused a moment, and laughed slightly. " – wanted some reinforcement? Or," I moved to the next e-mail, "you were getting lonely?"I was surprised at this one. "I'm going to guess you didn't mean after-hours, unless something happened to that blonde, what's-her-name."

"Oh, speaking of spit-swapping, was it Harrison that gave you mono?"

"No, Tony," I answered, struggling to hide my amusement at his preoccupation with my sickness.

"Was that a really-no, or a Tony-was-right-but-I-won't-admit-it-no?"

"Really-no." As I read a third e-mail, I commented, "I don't count dandelions as flowers anyway."

"What?" Tony asked me, confused.

"You threatened to bring me a dandelion if I didn't get better soon, as of last Thursday. As you wrote, 'I'd bring you flowers to help you get better soon, but the only thing in my budget is a dandelion. And I'd have to deliver them.' But I don't count dandelions as flowers, so it's a good thing you didn't bother."

"Funny, I don't remember sending that to you."

"Do you remember writing it?"I teased.

"Ha-ha. No, I don't," Tony answered sarcastically.

"Maybe you shouldn't send me six e-mails a day, every day, for three weeks, then," I suggested, turning back to my e-mail. But at a quiet half-chuckle from Gibbs, I looked backup to see Tony diligently studying his trash can as though there was nothing more interesting in the office. I smiled to myself and returned to the several dozen messages awaiting me as Tony decided his own e-mail, presumably with some e-mail from Alexa or Andrea or whatever her name was, held more attraction than the trash face coloured again as I realized I was fighting off jealousy over Tony's routine e-mails to a girlfriend.

By the end of the week, I had readjusted to my normal routine of life instead of my recent lazing around the house, not allowed to do anything more physical than clean out my closets or trip headlong into the fridge over a stray cheese grater (I hadn't even known I _had _a cheese grater.). That Friday morning, I walked into the office to find Gibbs on the phone. "All right, then," he said into the receiver and hung up. To my surprise, he chuckled slightly. "Well, Kate," he said, looking up at me, "Looks like DiNozzo won't be at work for a little while. It seems he's come down with mono.


	2. I'm Dreaming of a Sick Tony

**Who Knew?  
Chapter 2: I'm Dreaming of a Sick Tony**

Now, last time, I forgot that lovely little prerequisite... They're not mine. That's a good thing. A very good thing. Trust me.

* * *

"Looks like DiNozzo won't be at work for a little while. It seems he's come down with mono," Gibbs informed me.

"Oh, well that's a shame," I said, trying my hardest to be sarcastic as I sat down. "We'll actually be able to think straight for a while." I doubted the sarcasm was what I wanted it to be. But I'd been right. At least, it certainly looked like it. Tony had mono now, just after I'd gotten over it. I _knew_ it had been a bad idea, eating some of that nutrition bar. But still, it had just been a tiny bite, nowhere near a mouthful. Just the part that had his spit on it. And it had been enough to give me mono. I'd sworn I'd shoot him if I'd gotten mono from him, but now I wasn't even annoyed. Only amused. Maybe I was a little disappointed, but only because he'd be at home and not at work. It made me hope he'd have a faster recovery than I had – three more weeks without Tony would be nearly impossible.

No, I did not just think that. Well, I did, and I know I did. I'm not going to admit it, though. I don't need Tony. Not a bit. The other little voice, the one that actually knows what it's talking about, rejoined my mental dialogue. Yeah, sure, Kate. Just keep telling yourself that. Maybe you'll win a trip to Never-land while you're at it.

I realized I was just staring into space, something I'm not supposed to do, so I turned to my computer and started everything up. But as I went to check my e-mails, my eyes fell on the "Paper Clips" folder I'd made. It contained every single pointless e-mail Tony had sent me while I was out of the office. I'd have to return the favour.

I grinned to myself as I hit the reply button on one of them and began to type a new message. Tony would have a lot of reading to do by the time he got back.

"Dear Tony," I typed.

'Now, where do we want to start with this one?' I thought. Then I grinned, closed the message I had been typing, and dove to the bottom of the Tony folder. I opened one of my favourites of the e-mails Tony had sent me and re-read it.

'_Kate – _

_So you're sick, huh? Too bad, now I'm all alone with Gibbs and Probie. And you're stuck at home, probably from some guy you were kissing. Who was it, by the way? Well, since you've had all that fun, just do me one favor. Wait 'til you're in a good mood before you come back. I really don't want to risk seeing you and Gibbs both in a bad mood at the same time. Find some girl movie to enjoy or something, just don't come back grouchy. But come back soon. Please._

– _Tony'_

It was certainly much less humorous than some he'd sent, but I liked how he said he wanted me to come back soon. It made me blush just to read it. Why did words have so much influence over me, darn it? But I also really liked the line about all the 'fun' I'd had. It made it sound almost, not quite, but _almost_, as though he was jealous. I wondered if he really had been when he'd written it. But really, who was I kidding? This was Tony. He'd probably had some new blonde to sleep with every night while I'd been gone. Now, though, he wouldn't; not while he was sick. It amused me somewhat, in that jealous way I was trying not to feel, to think of him at home, more upset that he couldn't go out and pick up new girlfriends than that he had mono. Then I panicked, wondering if he'd connect the dots like I had. I hoped not, and I doubted he would, but there was always that chance… No, Kate. You are not going to think about that now. If you're going to get payback, start now. Let's just hope our days in the office are as quiet as Tony's seem to have been.

'_Tony – _

_Well, I had no idea mono was going around. It's too bad you're going to be stuck at home, without any new girlfriends, for a few weeks. I hope you don't take as long as I did to get better, for your sake._' For his sake, sure. Who am I kidding? We already talked about this, Kate. '_You know, it's a lot quieter here when you're at home._'Too quiet, almost. Too dull. '_So get better, and get back in here, before I have time to get used the quiet._' Before I go completely mental. I know I will, if he doesn't get back soon. Of course, I probably will even if he does, but that would be a completely different kind of mental. '_Please_.

– _Kate'_

I decided to stop it there, before I ended up gushing out my deep and repressed feelings. That certainly wouldn't do, though my fingers itched to type them. I'd have to make sure to write all of this in a journal. One that would stay very soundly at home.

* * *

Now, to talk to my beloved reviewers (who keep me nice and insane - the only state I can write in.)... 

"**TATE foreva**" - Glad you liked it, thank you for reading... I'm very bad about keeping one-shots one shots, so there will be more.  
**Julia**- Yeah, Tony actually gave it to Kate, without even knowing he could have... So he asked for it even before Kate did.  
**Megan** - Since this has changed to a Kate POV and precludes all outside knowlege, we shall never know who gave Tony mono...  
**FriendsHolic** - Very good, she did indeed!  
**jtbwriter** - Very glad you enjoyed! I liked the bit about the dandelion... See, there's a mini-story behind that, too... (ask Jenni, or e-mail me, or something...) I'm so glad it provided you with a morning smile. The only thing that gives me morning smiles is coffee.  
**lil'doxy** - The chapters might end up being short (like this one), but there will be at least several more itty-bitty chapters.  
**Jenni** - I know you'd already read it, but you reviewed it anyway, and you're wonderful! Thank you! I meant to send you this chapter before I posted it, and it sucks, but you already reviewed this one, too.. I love you, Sissy! LOL.  
**Denaliyasha** - I know you wouldn't mind that I liked your story, but I was typing what I was thinking, and my thoughts get pretty weird. That was actually normal for once. But anyway, thank you for reading, enjoying, and reviewing! Oh, and on your stories list, "Kate, Kate, and Tony" was a one-shot (?), which I'm assuming means there's a chance you'll continue it. If it does, my vote is that you do!  
**Salem Navy** - Nope, Kate and Tony haven't been kissing - yet. I'm pretty sure Harrison was mentioned in one of the episodes as being Kate's boyfriend. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that.)  
**Everyone Else** - Thank you for so much reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it! Reviews make me very happy!  
- Kate


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